


Home for the Holidays

by RiYuYami



Series: Pulling Strings [17]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Gen, Minor spoilers for the AU, OC family for Henry, Post-escape fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-14 22:04:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13017078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiYuYami/pseuds/RiYuYami
Summary: Bendy didn’t know what to expect when Henry told him and his friends they’d be going to see the Ross family for Christmas.But it was a lot better than he could have expected, that’s for sure.-Post-escape short fic for the Pulling Strings au-





	1. Meet the Family, Meet the Toons

**Author's Note:**

> I promised myself I wouldn’t post anything post-escape until chapter four came out (so I could have some better ideas of how things will end up with Henry escaping with all three Toons), but it’s the holidays, and I’ve had this idea in mind for over a month.
> 
> I don’t know for sure if this is really canon for Pulling Strings, but at this point, I don’t care, I want some nice stuff with Bendy and Henry (and Alice and Boris get some love as well, don’t worry).
> 
> Also, you’ll get to meet Henry’s family in this, at least my version of his family, that is.
> 
> Warning: I’m writing something nice to make up for all the angst that Pulling Strings is full of, also, minor spoilers for the series, but I’m keeping things vague.
> 
> On with the fic!

Bendy sat back in his makeshift seat, sitting behind Henry as he drove down the highway. Alice was in the back with him, the two of them sitting on pillows and an old blanket, while Boris was up in the passenger seat, happily chatting with Henry about something from work.

Alice was quietly reading one of her many books she’s picked up over the few months since their big escape, humming along to the Christmas music that played on the radio of Henry’s old truck. Bendy himself was just going over a lot of things in his mind as they went down the road.

Just a few days before, Henry had informed the three Toons that they would be going with him up to Washington, to spend Christmas and New Years with his parents and his siblings. Bendy had been rather confused by this, why would Henry want to take them with him? Alice and Boris were delighted with the idea, always ready to meet new people, but the Dancing Devil himself was so nervous.

He didn’t know what to expect from Henry’s family, in fact, he didn’t know anything about them. Sure, Bendy was always the first to approach someone to introduce himself, but for some reason, the idea of meeting the rest of the Ross family had him quaking in his boots. Henry never spoke much about his family, outside of small mentions of them, he was a rather private man.

Was the rest of his family like that? Or would they be more like Henry when he was in a good mood, where he could be talkative, and actually had a sense of humor, instead of his usual stoic, quiet self?

It was making Bendy’s head spin over all these possibilities, and it was annoying him. He pouted and turned his head, looking out the window, seeing the snowy landscape that surrounded the road. He spotted a car with a kid looking out the window and he made a face. The kid did the same, and Bendy chuckled, seeing the little boy laugh as well before the car sped up ahead to get in front of Henry.

This made Bendy pout again, he was starting to get really bored. “Hey, ol’ man!” He called out over Boris’ talking and the Christmas music.

Henry looked at him through the rearview mirror. “What’s up, short stack?”

“Are we there yet? I’m getting’ mighty bored back here!”

“Read a book like Alice is.”

“I get car sick.”

“Did you bring anythin’ to entertain yourself?” Henry sighed. “Or did you forget?”

The Ink Demon opened his mouth, then shut it, his cheeks tinted gray. “Shut up.”

Henry chuckled, shaking his head. “We’re almost there, Bendy. Got another half-hour, then you’ll get to meet my folks.”

“Do they know we’re coming?” Alice asked, looking away from her book.

The old animator felt his own cheeks heat up a bit and he shrugged. “I just told them I was bringin’ some friends. Mom is really curious about who you guys are, since I didn’t say names. Dad wants to be surprised, cause I never bring anyone with me, not since… well… anyway, heh, let’s hope things go well.”

“How come ya didn’t tell ‘em who we are?” Boris asked, rather curious, just as his friends were.

“Well… they wouldn’t have believed me, and I think bringin’ you guys would be all the proof they need to know that I live with actual cartoon characters.”

“Makes sense, I think.” Bendy shrugged before snatching up one of Alice’s book, deciding to just flip through it, disappointed that he found no pictures in it. “Alice, get some better readin’ material.”

“We can’t all sit there and read comics and children’s books, Bendy.” The angel deadpanned, gently pushing at his feet to get them away from her little area of the truck. Bendy just pushed back in return, and it only took moments for them to start kicking each other.

Henry nearly swerved off the road when he tried to get them to stop.

\--

Henry had been right that it was only another thirty minutes to get to their destination. The Toons had been excited, staring out the window at the large farmhouse that was out by a field, a small grove of bare trees was near the house, along with a clump of pine trees behind the house. There was also a large building, like a garage, much like the one that Boris and Henry worked at, with snow covered cars outside of it.

The animator drove down a slightly bumpy road, before coming up to the farmhouse to park outside of it. He smirked and honked the horn of his truck five times, and sat back. His friends looked at him curiously before the front door opened, and they saw someone step out onto the porch.

The person was an elderly woman, with thick hair, salt and pepper in color, and a pair of thin glasses on her face. She was on the chubby side, and looked to be as tall as Henry, with a large smile on her face as she made her way down the stairs.

Henry was quick to get out of the truck and walked up to her, hugging her tightly. “Hey Mom, long time no see.”

“Not since last Christmas!” The woman laughed, hugging back. “A call at Thanksgiving wasn’t enough!”

“Heh, I know, but I was eating dinner with my friends.”

“Oh yes, your mysterious friends.” She huffed. “They aren’t any of your weird army buddies, are they?”

“No, they’re from the studio.”

A look crossed her face before she frowned softly. “The studio? Oh, Henry, I don’t…” Her green eyes widened in shocked as she saw someone… or something… come out of the driver’s side of the truck. The stranger was on the short side, body completely black except for his face, the buttoned gloves on his hands, and the white bowtie around his, well, lack of neck.

Following him was a girl of the same color scheme, a glowing ring above her head, where two horns poked out of her black hair.

After her came a taller figure from the passenger’s side, dressed in overalls and looking very much like a wolf.

Doris Ross knew who these three were. Oh yes, she knew _exactly_ who these three cartoon characters were, and she had never been more shocked in all her years. “H-Henry… are those…?”

“Mom, I’d like to introduce you to my friends. Boris the Wolf, Alice Angel, and, of course, Bendy the Dancing Demon.” Henry stated, gesturing to each one as he said their names. Boris waved, Alice curtsied, and Bendy grinned, doing a small jig in the snow.

Doris could only stare at them, before letting out a weird laugh. “H-how is this… I mean…”

“Hey, how about we go inside for some drinks and I’ll explain everything.” Henry suggested. “It’s pretty cold out right now, and we’re all tired from bein’ in the car.”

His mother just nodded, leading the Toons into the house while Henry grabbed their bags from the back of his truck.

Bendy followed Henry’s mother, a little nervous, even though he did his best to hide it. He was a little surprised when he entered the house, it was so… cozy! The walls had framed photos and drawings on them, the colors were bright and warm, very Christmas-themed, considering all the decorations.

He stood in the foyer, looking to his right, seeing a living room, with furniture that looked old, but well-used. There was a television set in there, and a large, old radio! It was even on, playing more Christmas music. Next, to his left, he found a dining room, with a large table in the middle. A china cabinet was in a corner, and there was a buffet covered in Christmas decorations. He could even see a doorway that led into a large kitchen, and the little demon could smell delicious things coming from it.

In front of him was a staircase, leading upstairs to who knows where. In the hall beyond the bottom of the staircase were doors. It was rather quiet between the Toons and Henry’s mother, so Bendy decided to break the ice. “So, uh… my name is Bendy, ma’am!” He smiled, holding out his hand. “Your son did some great stuff for me back in da day, an’ even now! You should be really proud of ‘em!”

She blinked, looking at him, and he suddenly felt nervous. Uh oh, did he say the wrong thing…?

The old woman smiled, then patted him on the head between his horns. “Oh Bendy, you don’t have to tell me that, I am very proud of him already.” This put a smile of Bendy’s face, as well as Alice’s and Boris’ own.

“Proud of who?” Henry asked as he came inside, setting aside his suitcase and the one that was packed for the cartoons.

Doris looked up at him, smiled still. “Why, you of course. Alright, follow me, I’ll make us something nice to drink, and we can enjoy an apple pie.”

Bendy perked up, his grin getting bigger as he quickly rushed to the kitchen. So that’s what he smelled!

He skidded to a stop, looking around, frowning. He could smell it, but he didn’t see it. “It’s in the oven, bud.” Henry spoke up as he followed Doris in, Alice and Boris trailing behind, looking around at everything.

The kitchen was big, it even had an island in the middle of it, which is where Bendy sat, having gotten himself up on a stool that sat in front of it. “What do you have ta drink, Mrs. Henry’s Mom?” He asked and got a laugh in reply.

“Call me Doris, or, I suppose, Grandma if you want. Actually… yes, call me Grandma!” Doris chuckled, grabbing a few cups off a cup rack on the counter by the stove.

“Grandma?” Alice blinked, tilting her head. “Why?”

“Well, I know that my little Henry created you three, so doesn’t that sort of make him your dad? That means I’m your grandma since I’m his mom!”

Henry groaned and slapped his forehead, mumbling that she was going to encourage this. Bendy snickered, knowing that it embarrassed and flustered Henry to be referred to as a dad. A lot of the neighborhood kids liked to call him the Toons’ dad when they talked to him, and it always caught him off-guard.

Boris laughed a bit himself, patting Henry on the back. “Well I think it’s just swell dat you wanna be our grandma, Grandma!” He smiled brightly at her, and got a big smile in return.

“You’re sweet, Boris. Now take a seat, I’ll put on some coffee!”

“No coffee for Bendy, he bounces off the walls. Literally.” Alice spoke up, wincing when Bendy flicked her. So, in return, she pushed him off the stool. Henry was quick to catch the little imp, giving them both hard looks. Bendy was pouting while Alice looked as sweet as sugar, her halo even glowing a bit.

Doris began heating up a pot of water for the coffee, but got out cocoa mix for Bendy and Alice. “So, mind telling me how I have living cartoons in my kitchen?” She asked, looking at her son.

“I’ll explain in a second, I’d rather Dad be here. Where is he?”

“He should be coming in any minute now.” She replied, glancing at the clock. Speak of the devil, the group heard the front door open and a voice call out that he was home.

A few moments later, a tall man with a short, gray beard and glasses stepped into the kitchen. He was in the middle of removing his hat when he stopped, staring at the Toons, blinking twice. “Well I’ll be damned, you weren’t kiddin’ when ya said you were bringin’ some ol’ friends with ya.”

Bendy snickered a bit at the man’s expression and got out of Henry’s hold, approaching him with a little bit of ease. “Hiya! I’m Bendy, the Dancin’ Demon!” He held out his hand, happy that the man shook it.

“Richard Ross, an’ I know all about ya. Yer Henry’s li’l cartoon character.” Richard looked over at Alice and Boris. “An’ so are you two. Nice to meet ya, but could someone tell me what’s goin’ on?”

“Take a seat, Dad,” Henry sighed, “and I’ll explain things.”

So, over pie (which Bendy happily ate three slices of) and hot drinks, Henry told his parents an abridged version of the events in the studio. He told them about the letter, about what happened when he turned on the machine, when he met Bendy.

The little devil stayed quiet during the parts about himself, refusing to look at anyone. Henry spoke about meeting Boris and how the wolf helped him, about Alice and the Other Alice. He even told them about Joey, and what happened to him during his time in the studio, how he basically lost his mind.

“Oh, Joey…” Doris sighed. “He used to be such a good boy, it’s shocking that he went from being a model citizen to… well… a monster. But then again, I should have expected as much with how he treated you, Henry. A good person would not treat his best friend like garbage, and as a means of selfish desires.”

Bendy twitched at her words, toying with the scraps of pie left on his plate. He spared Henry a glance, the man wasn’t looking at him, but he felt Henry place a hand on his back, gently rubbing it. He relaxed instantly.

If he had to be honest with himself, Bendy was still recovering from everything at the studio, even months later. All those years of being deformed, and having his mind and memories rearranged to screw up his perspective and opinions, well… those are hard to get over. Yes, he now knew the truth of Henry’s departure, that it actually upset Henry greatly, and how Bendy’s need for revenge was just a seed planted in his mind by Joey through his sugar-coated, poisoned words and stories.

Henry was the one who fixed everything though, he never treated Bendy like Joey did, and it was obvious that the old man still cared about the Dancing Demon, and Boris and Alice as well, especially with how he treated them.

But Bendy still felt guilty about all the harm he brought Henry and his friends. It’s not something he liked to be reminded of, especially because his ‘game’ he had played had all been for false, selfish desires of a revenge that shouldn’t have existed. Didn’t help that even though he looked perfect now, he still carried his scars from all the times the machine was turned off, he was still the Ink Demon, even under this cute appearance.

And boy, didn’t he know that… still caught him off guard when he would see changes in his form when his emotions were unstable, or he didn’t think clearly…

“Joey was always a few screws loose in the head, Mom.” Henry spoke, frowning. “I just wished I had picked up on this when he and I were still friends. But, despite everything, I am a bit thankful for him. He kept his promise with me, he said he would bring my creations to life, and… well…” He smiled a little as he looked at Boris, Alice, and Bendy.

Alice giggled a bit. “Yeah, he was a few drips short of a full pen, but he did make us! And now we live with you, Henry!”

“An’ it’s lots better den da studio.” The cartoon wolf nodded, sipping his coffee.

Bendy just nodded, though his attention went towards the entrance of the kitchen, hearing a knock from another room. “Oh, that must be Jacob.” Richard said, getting up but Henry was already out of his seat.

“Hang on, I’ll go get him.” He replied as he went out of the kitchen. Curiosity got the better of Bendy and he followed after his creator.

He stood in the dining room, watching Henry open the front door before the man was suddenly hugged tightly by someone who was laughing loudly. “Henry! Good to see ya here! Missed ya at Thanksgivin’!” The stranger, Jacob, shouted happily as he grabbed Henry in a bear hug, actually lifting the man off his feet!

He set Henry down before standing back, letting Bendy get a good look at him. He was much taller than Henry, with dark brown hair, though there was a bit of gray to it. He looked older than Henry, but not too much older, and shared the same eyes. He wore a pair of glasses with a thick frame, and Bendy was shocked to see that the man only had four fingers on his right hand.

“Good to see ya as well, Jake, and sorry about not being here then. I was havin’ dinner with some friends.” Henry spoke, crossing his arms as he smiled at the man.

“Oh yeah?” Jacob smirked. “Got yerself a li’l dame or someth-” His words were cut off when he noticed the other person in the area. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at Bendy before he let out a loud laugh, slapping Henry hard on the back as he did. “Well I’ll be a son o’ a bitch! How’d ya pull this off, li’l bro?”

“Would you believe me if I said it involved my artwork, demonic ink, and something called the Ink Machine, curtesy of Joey Drew?”

Jacob looked at Henry, then he laughed again. “Well, that’s all I needed to hear! Hey there, li’l man, I’m Jacob Ross! An’ I know you, Bendy!” He grinned as he approached, getting down to be at eye level with the Toon. “Wow! You’re just the bee’s knees, aren’t ya! This is so amazin’, just swell! Well, Henry always did have a knack for makin’ his art look alive, am I right? Hahaha! Is it just you, or is your band of merry friends with ya?”

Bendy blinked, before looking at Henry with wide eyes. “I like dis guy.” He said to his creator, who just let out an amused sigh, shaking his head. Jacob grinned and scooped Bendy up, looking him over again.

“Wow, how’s your head doin’ that floatin’ thing?”

“I dunno! Ask Henry! He designed me!”

They both looked at Henry, who raised an eyebrow. “Shit, I don’t remember, maybe I just thought it was a great design, and he’s a demon and a cartoon, he can do all sorts of things we can’t.”

“Like what?” Jacob asked, watching Bendy reach behind himself before he pulled something out. It was a set of juggling balls, and Bendy began to juggle them with ease, tossing them up in the air before they vanished behind his head. He even ended his act with jazz hands. Jacob stared in shock before his eyes widened in delight. “Holy shit, ain’t that just the greatest thing right there!”

“Henry?” A voice called from the kitchen, making the three turn to see Alice and Boris looking in on the group. “Oh! Are you Jacob?” Alice asked as she walked into the dining room. “I’m Alice Angel, a pleasure to meet you.”

Setting Bendy down, Jacob approached and kneeled in front of her, grinning as he took her hand, giving it a kiss. “A pleasure to meet ya, Miss Angel, just a real pleasure indeed.” He even winked at her.

She blushed deeply, giggling behind her other hand. “Such a gentleman.” She winked in return, smirking a little.

“That is the last thing I’d call him.” Henry spoke up, earning a loud snort from his older brother. “Alright, time for you to introduce yourself, Boris.”

The wolf happily walked up to Jacob, taking his hand, giving it a firm, wild shake. “Nice ta meet ya, I’m Boris! Didn’t know Henry had a brother!”

“The guy doesn’t like ta talk about me, says I’m an embarrassment ta nature!”

“You are, you’re the kid who use to make money from eating gross things kids on the school yard dared you to eat.” Henry replied, shaking his head,

“An’ I’ll always be proud that I’m the kid who ate thirty worms in one recess. Also, I made Drew eat a beetle, I take pride in that fact!”

Bendy laughed at that. “Did he hate it?”

“Did he hate it?! Li’l man, he LOATHED me from that day onward!” Jacob smirked. “I was the biggest thorn in his side when we were growin’ up! I’ve got lots of hilarious stories about Henry and Drew when they were kids! A lotta ‘em can get Henry blushin’ like a tomato, if ya need some good material to use against the guy.” He stage-whispered so his brother could hear. The slap to the back of his head was worth the laughs he got from the Toons.

“Come on, moron, Mom and Dad are waitin’ for ya in the kitchen.” The old animator gestured to the other room, which Jacob happily walked into to greet them.

“How come you never told us about him?” The fallen angel asked, looking up at her creator.

Henry shrugged, sighing. “I don’t usually talk about myself much, people never ask, so I never really talk. I honestly forget to do so. Also, Jacob’s an asshole. I love him, but he likes to… be obnoxious.”

“Henry, you live with Bendy, that gives you enough reason to tell us.”

“HEY!” Bendy shouted, getting a laugh from Alice and Boris. “Oh shut up.” He grumbled, but he smiled at them a little. “Well, I think yer brother’s great! Good guy!”

“Wait ‘til you meet my sister and her pack of brats, punk.” The animator patted Bendy on the head.

Alice blinked, tilting her head. “You have a sister as well?”

“Yep, baby sister, she’s fourteen years younger than me.” The wide-eyed stares he got from his creators made Henry feel like he was suddenly in the spotlight. “I thought I had mentioned her before to you guys, she calls me at least once a month.”  
  
Bendy shrugged. “We never really pay much attention to ya when you’re yakin’ away on the phone.”

“True. But yeah, I’ve got a sister, Renee, you’ll like her. She’s got four kids, only one of us out of the three of us to do so.”

“How come?” Boris asked, rather curious. Henry brushed off the question, saying she’s the only one to have kids out of the three, and he left it as that when he turned back towards the kitchen.

Bendy looked at his cartoon pals before following Henry. They spent a bit more time in the kitchen, chatting with the family. The Toons learned that Richard still repaired cars and the like, while Doris often did community work in her retirement. Jacob worked in archival work, since he really couldn’t do much action stuff like he use to, but he enjoyed his current work.

He used to be in the military, like Henry, but had been an air force pilot instead of joining the army. When his vision started going bad, he retired, taking up a job in archival work, something else he enjoyed doing, even if it wasn’t as action-packed as flying.

Bendy was fascinated by this, Jacob seemed happy to talk about his time in service, while Henry kept silent about it. But that was understandable, they both had totally different experiences when it came to fighting in the war. Henry was too close to the action, Jacob was at least in a plane.

“Was bein’ a pilot fun?” Boris had asked. “I was a pilot in a short once!”

“Heh, I remember that one!” Jacob grinned. “What was that short called again?” He asked as he turned to his little brother.

“World War One Flyin’ Bor-Ace.” Henry replied simply, giving a shrug. “That was one of Boris’ first main character episodes.”

Doris laughed a bit. “Oh yes, that was a rather cute one. Wasn’t Bendy the villain in it?”

“I was more of a rival, really.” Bendy huffed, but looked amused. “The Ink Baron! Boris and I were fightin’ up in the clouds with our li’l planes! We actually had toys for dat episode! Just like the train one!” As much as he hated the studio, Bendy did enjoy the toy factory. Him and Boris use to recreate that episode with the plush toys and planes, it was a lot of fun. Same with the train sets.

She nodded. “I know, I have them.” There was a look on her face that screamed she had an idea.

The Toons all looked up at her as Henry’s face turned a shade of red. “Oh God… Mom, no, don’t show them the room…”

“I’m showing them the room!” Doris laughed again as she got up. “Follow me, I’ll show you the special office Henry had set up.”

The cartoons were quick to follow their grandmother figure as she moved through the kitchen and into a small area where a laundry room was located. Past that was a small hallway that had two doors. From what they could tell, the Toons figured this was an addition to the house, since the carpet and walls were different from what the rest of the house looked like.

Doris explained that the door to the left led outside to their back porch, and the other door was Henry’s private office, which use to just be an extra room they had for a while until he took it over. She smiled and opened the door for her new family additions.

Whatever the three had expected to be in the room was not any of this.

The room was full of Bendy memorabilia. Posters were framed on the wall, all from episodes that Henry had animated and directed. There were bookshelves covered in toys and objects from the show, most of it was Bendy, but there were Boris and Alice items as well. Also framed on the walls were animation cells from various cartoons, and even basic doodles of the cast by Henry.

The desk was cluttered in Bendy stuff, and only Bendy stuff. There was even one of Henry’s ‘special’ ink wells sitting there, next to a set of well-used pens and pencils. The desk was set up to be ready for an animator to start drawing at any time, there was even a small type writer there for script writing.

“W-what is all of dis…?” Bendy blinked, stepping into the room, looking at all of the objects and images. Sure, he had seen his face all over the studio, and it had gotten a bit creepy over the years due to the worship from Sammy and such, but this… he actually felt pride swell up in his chest!

Henry had all of this, in his private office in his old house, all this stuff from the show, from the studio… this was way more impressive than the tiny shelf Henry had in his bedroom back at home.

He spotted his animator approach the doorway while Boris and Alice began to look at some of the items in awe. Henry looked embarrassed, avoiding eye contact with Bendy. “I… started collectin’ things when the show began. Sent a lot of it here cause I use to live in an apartment and didn't have the room for it all. I always sent new stuff here, Mom would set it up for me, find nice places for everythin’. Some of this stuff are prototypes for toys that Shawn gave me, stuff Joey hated, didn’t want, back when the toy line was so small. Shawn did everything in one, tiny room.”

Bendy blinked again. “So… you just collected things? Did… you like any of it?”

“Of course I did, hell, even when I was fired and sent to fight in Europe, I still collected stuff. Some of the objects in here are bootleg European toys, they liked ya over there, you three.” Henry smirked a bit, scratching at the back of his head. “Got to keep some of my favorite cells too, and the posters. A lot of ‘em are original printings.”

“This is impressive!” Alice gasped, smiling when she spotted a cute little wind-up toy of herself. “It’s nice to know you still cared about us enough to keep up the collection.”

Henry looked at her, his smirk becoming a soft smile. “Just cause Joey fired me, didn’t mean I ever stopped carin’ about you guys.”

Doris smiled softly at her son, stepping away to let him talk to his creations. Bendy looked up at Henry, a small, awkward grin pulled at his own lips before he looked at the desk. “Whatcha do in here anyway?”

“Did projects and stuff.” The human sighed. “After the war, and… Joey fuckin’ things up for me in the animation industry, I came here to think and get myself back on my feet. I took art commissions for businesses in town, it actually was pretty nice. Also did work here with Dad, before movin’ to where I live now. And you know the rest of that story.”

Approaching the desk, Bendy looked at all the little objects of himself on display. Just little toys, some buttons, even a nice figure of him that looked like it might have been handmade and not produced in the studio at all. There was even a drawing of Bendy, in a small, silver frame. His eyes widened slightly as he made a connection with it, the ink used was from the ‘special’ ink well.

Looks like Henry still used it only for drawing Bendy.

He glanced over at Henry, gently drumming his fingers on the desk. “So… if Joey didn’t mess things up for ya, would ya be animatin’ still? Like… doin’ other people’s characters? Or… new ones?”

Henry was quiet, thinking on this, which made Bendy nervous. He could see that Alice and Boris were curious of the answer as well. “Hmm… I would be animatin’, yes, but I don’t think it would be for another studio. I’d still be workin’ at Joey Drew Studios. It was my home for years, my dream, where I made ya guys.” He smiled once more before shaking his head. “You’re makin’ a sap out of me. Come on, we gotta go unpack.”

Boris and Alice were quick to follow after Henry to get their luggage, the little Ink Demon stayed behind for a few moments longer, glancing around. He smiled a bit, it… was nice to see that Henry really did care about them, even after… everything before he returned.

He wondered… about his gift for his creator, if it would hold the same meaning to him as all this stuff, and the shelf at home, did. Well, he’d just have to wait until Christmas to find out!

\--

Bendy made his way up the stairs, finding two doors opened up there. The first door he looked into had Jacob in it, unpacking a suitcase on one of the two beds placed inside. He looked over at Bendy, giving him a big grin before telling him that Henry was in the other room.

The Toon thanked him before seeing that in the other room there were, again, two beds. This room was set up oddly, it made Bendy think of a room from some movie he saw about a Bed and Breakfast place. Alice and Boris were sitting on one of the bed, digging in the suitcase they had brought. There wasn’t much in it, just some winter clothes, along with the nice clothes that Henry told them to bring. When asked why, Henry replied that they would need them for Christmas Eve dinner and service.

Alice was currently pulling out the pretty dress she had gotten on a shopping trip with Mavis, the mail lady that she and Henry were good friends with. The angel was also good friends with her little girl, who Bendy had babysat a few times in the past. The dress Alice had was red with jingle bells sewn into it, Bendy thought she would look as pretty as a picture in it. Not that he was gonna tell her that, nah, he wasn’t a sap.

Boris’ fancy outfit were clean, tan pants, with suspenders in blue. He also had a white shirt to go with it, Henry had helped him pick it out when he took him and Bendy shopping.

Bendy’s own was… embarrassing, to say the least.

The Dancing Demon wasn’t really… designed for adult clothes, even though he was pretty old, and the only clothes he actually ever wore were neck accessories and hats in the show. So, when it came time to find him nice clothes, Henry had taken him into a children’s store. Bendy felt insulted, but he understood, he was short, uhg.

Luckily, a few of Bendy’s kid friends were there and helped him find an outfit. He picked out a bright red sweater to wear, one that he knew was comfy, and some black pants. He already felt like the outfit would be fancy due to his ever-present bowtie.

To be honest, it seemed silly for Bendy to wear clothes, especially since it was such a rare sight for him in the show, outside of a few promotional images. But… well… sometimes it was nice to look a bit different when it was your own doing.

Also, that sweater is really comfy, and he may or may not have slept in it a few times, much to Henry’s annoyance.

And speaking of Henry, where was he?

“Oh, hey Bendy!” Boris spoke up when he spotted his best bud. “Where’d ya run off to?”

“Uh, I was lookin’ at a toy of my gorgeous face back in the office.” He smirked and walked over to his friends. “Where’s the ol’ man?”

Alice pointed out towards the hall. “He said this room is the guest room, it’s where we’ll be staying. He’s in his old room, that’s where he’ll be sleeping. I think he’s unpacking in there right now.”

“Gotcha.” The demon nodded and scurried back into the hall. There were three other doors, one lead into a bathroom, the second one he tried led into a rather girly looking room, but the last one, at the end of the hall, had Henry in it.

The room was simple, but there were drawings framed on the wall, lots of them were of characters from other studios, and some from Bendy’s own. It was obvious these were all Henry’s drawings, from various stages of his time drawing since he was a kid. There were two photos in the room, on a dresser. Henry didn’t seem to notice Bendy as he snuck in, and the Toon went to look at the photos.

The first was of Henry, he had to be in his early twenties, it was obviously him. He was with a much younger looking Jacob, and a little girl who was clinging to Henry’s side, looking like she was laughing. Was that his sister?

The other photo made Bendy’s ink run cold.

It was Henry, when he had to be a child. He was dressed up in nice clothes, black pants, shoes, and shirt, but a big, white bowtie around his neck. His clothes looked dirty, even in the black and white photo, and he was grinning, missing a tooth in his mouth. But the reason the demon was uncomfortable was because of the taller boy who stood next to Henry.

Even at such a young age, Bendy knew those eyes anywhere. He knew that face, that smile. Dressed in clean clothes, mostly white, a reverse of Henry’s own outfit, was a young Joey Drew. He didn’t have his mustache or glasses, but it was obviously him, smiling at the camera, looking much more mature than his photo companion.

“Oh, I forgot about that photo.” Bendy jumped three feet in the air, literally, when Henry spoke up. “Sorry, punk. But… yeah, that was an old photo of me and Joey. I was… ten, I think, he was thirteen. We were at some event in town, I think it was for the church choir. I had ended up getting really dirty before we were suppose to take a photo for the church.”

Henry chuckled, picking up the photo. “I was showin’ off, tryin’ to be the fun kid who wanted to show everyone I could climb a tree. I did. Then I fell, wasn’t smart, but I lost my loose tooth that day, and I embarrassed Joey cause he was tryin’ to show off to the adults and this one girl from school. And here comes me, covered in dirty and leaves, blood pourin’ out of my mouth as I showed him my tooth. Then I tried to make him touch my gum where it came out.”

Bendy laughed a bit at that. “Heh, if I didn’t know better, I’d think ya were a lot like me as a kid.”

“Well… where do you think you got your behavior from?”

The Toon blinked, looking at Henry, confused. “What?”

“When I first came up with you, you were based on me as a kid, a troublemaker who was full of energy. But I made you a dancer instead of an artist, didn’t want Joey to think you were too much like me. Didn’t expect ya to sound like me as a kid, but… shit happens, ya know?”

Bendy just had a strained smile on his face, yeah, he… hadn’t expected to sound a lot like Henry either. He knew that it was a feature of him that Joey hated, the second Bendy he made was also the first to speak. Poor little guy didn’t even last an hour before Joey killed him, all because he sounded like Henry. When Joey found out that this was his voice, the voice Henry thought of when creating him, because he was never given a voice actor… well… he just put up with it, even if he hated it.

Of course, this was after he killed the poor Bendy who had opened his mouth to finally speak to his director. The third Bendy proved that this wasn’t an accident, this was his real voice.

Blinking, Bendy felt Henry rubbing him between his horns, a guilty look on the human’s face. “Sorry, didn’t mean to bum you out.”

“I’m okay.”

“You look distraught.”

With a sigh, Bendy shrugged. “Just… thinkin’, really. About Joey, and…” He put a hand on his chest, where the director had taken a letter opener to the second Bendy… he tensed up, shaking his head. “Does my voice bother you?”

“No, only when you scream in my ear in the mornin’ cause you want me to cook you bacon.” Henry replied, it was a joke, but it was also sort of the truth. He didn’t mind that Bendy sounded so much like him as a kid, but he really did NOT like being woken up at five in the morning to a loud yell from the Toon.

Bendy smiled a little at that. “Heh, well, you’re the only one who makes it just that way I likes it! Boris doesn’t get it cooked fully, cause he likes it raw, an’ Alice just burns it!”

Henry smirked, about to comment, when he heard a voice from downstairs. Actually, he heard several voices. “Guess Renee is here, wanna meet her? She’s got four kids I’m sure you guys are gonna love.”

The idea of having kids to play with got Bendy’s attention, he was always a sap for entertaining children! He nodded and headed for the hall, seeing Alice and Boris leaving the guest room to see who was here. The Toons stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the crowd at the front door, being greeted by Doris and Richard.

There was a short woman with dirty blond hair, happily talking to Doris as a tall, lanky man took her coat. Surrounding them were four children of various ages. One had reddish-blond hair, was on the chubby side, and looked to be the oldest. Another was on the short side with blond hair and big, brown eyes, he was happily chatting to Richard about the car ride here. Next to him, taking off his coat, was a boy who was taller than him, with reddish-brown hair. The last of the children was little girl with long, blond hair, who was hugging on tightly to a tiger plush toy.

The little girl was bouncing up and down, excited, before she looked up the stairs at the cartoons, her eyes growing wide. “Cartoons!” She shouted before she rushed up the stairs, barreling right into Bendy to hug onto him tightly.

Bendy was alarmed for a moment, before he laughed, hugging her back. He really was a sucker for kids, they were too much fun! So full of energy, made him feel like he was in a cartoon again! Reminded him of what he was created for.

There were gasps from the foyer, from the newcomers. “W-what the heck?” The third boy blinked, staring in shock.

“Whoa! Are they for real?!” The second asked, looking at his grandparents for an answer. “They look like Uncle Henry’s cartoons!”

“That’s because they are.” Henry replied from behind the Toons at the top of the stairs. “Guys, these are my nephews and my niece, along with my sister Renee and her husband, Thomas. Guys, introduce yourselves.”

Boris grinned and bowed. “I’m Boris the Wolf! I’m a musician an’ a handy man!”

Alice did a curtsy, her halo glowing brightly. “I’m Alice Angel, singer, dancer, and all around the sweetest gal you’ll ever met.”

Bendy had to pry the little girl off in order to introduce himself. He grinned, removing a hat from behind himself to put it on his head, only to take it off as he dramatically bowed. “An’ I’m Bendy! The one-an’-only, Dancin’ Demon!” He even did a little tap dance for the people. “We’re Henry’s Toons!”

“Uhhh…” Renee blinked, adjusting her glances as she looked at the living cartoons. “Henry? Do you mind explaining…?”

“I will in a bit, but the best I can tell you is that Joey Drew is insane and somehow figured out the right kinda magic to make cartoons come to life.” Henry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The little girl was still smiling at she looked at Bendy with big, green eyes. “I’m Maisie!” She said, taking Bendy’s hand, giving it a shake, before doing the same to Boris and Alice’s hands.

Alice giggled a bit. “Nice to meet you, Maisie, my, what a pretty name.”

“Thank you, missus pretty lady!” This made the angel blush a bit as she laughed again.

The first boy stepped forward, smiling a little. “I’m Benjamin, the oldest. But you can call me Benji!”

Boris made his way down the stairs to take Benji’s hand, giving it a good shake. “Nice to meet ya, Benji!” He replied as his friends and Maisie followed him down.

The next to introduce himself was the blond boy. “I’m Roy! I’m the cutest of the bunch, if you can’t tell! And this guy here is Joshua,” he gestured to the third boy, “he’s not much of a talker, but I am!”

“Huh, you remind me of someone, but I just can’t put a finger on it.” Boris thought, not noticing Alice trying hard not to laugh behind her hand as Bendy gave her a hard stare, daring her to say something.

Renee stepped forward, trying to smile as she introduced herself to the Toons. She was Henry’s little sister, and the cartoons could see that she looked a lot like her siblings. Thomas, the lanky man that was in the room with them, seemed stunned, but just accepted this as… well… something. They were real, the Toons, so might as well just go with it.

After some small chit chat, Henry suggested the kids and Toons go play in the living room, the adults were gonna go talk in the kitchen, get caught up. Bendy made a smart comment about how he was well over thirty. Henry reminded him that he was more of a child than the kids he helped babysit in the neighborhood.

He got a raspberry in response before the little devil laughed, running off to the living room to see what games he and the kids could play.

\--

Henry quietly spoke with his family in the kitchen, able to explain in better detail about the events of the studio without upsetting his friends. He spoke about Alice, and what horrible things happened to her thanks to the Other Alice. He talked about Boris, and of the other Boris clones. He told them of some of the horrors he saw of his old coworkers, and of his ex-best friend.

Then he told them about Bendy.

The old animator explained as best as he could about the horrors Bendy went through. His years of suffering, the things he saw, and had done. All the guilt and anger he felt because of what Joey said, had done. The fact that he had lived in fear of the machine, which gave him life. He kept out the details of Bendy’s demonic powers, he didn’t want to scare his sister into keeping her kids away, but he couldn’t hide the truth that Bendy had changed form for a while in the studio.

He had even drawn a sketch on a sheet of paper for them, of Bendy’s ink demon form. He said Bendy doesn’t look like that anymore, obviously, but he didn’t tell them that Bendy could still change into it. It was his scar of his suffering, and it only came out when he was threatened, in a rage, or when he had his worst nightmares.

Henry still remembered the first time a nightmare turned Bendy into his monster form, it took him over an hour to get the upset demon to calm down enough to change back into his normal appearance. He’s still not sure if Alice and Boris know of that night.

“But now…” He sighed, sipping his lukewarm coffee, “they’re okay. They still have… problems, obviously, certain things bother them, make ‘em think of the studio, but they’re doin’ better. The neighborhood kids make ‘em happy, and they have jobs.”

“Jobs?” Jacob blinked. “Toons can get jobs?”

“If you know the right people, yeah.” Henry replied. “Boris is really handy with tools, he works at the auto shop with me. My boss, Mick, he’s fine with it, Boris brings in customers cause he’s always happy to chat with ‘em while he works on their cars. Alice does piano and singing lessons in the neighborhood, and at the youth center. Kids love her, they actually want to go to their lessons, apparently. Bendy babysits kids during the day when moms and dads are busy. Kids adore him, and he’s never had a problem while on the job.”

There was a gentle smile gracing the animator’s lips. “They’re survivin’, they’re enjoyin’ their lives outside of the studio. Sure, I’ve got people getting’ on me about ‘em, the churches in town hate Bendy, and so do a few old people, but a lot of people don’t mind them at all.”

“You sound like a proud dad, Henry.” Renee spoke, seeing the look on her brother’s face, almost laughing as he turned pink.

“Why does everyone keep sayin’ I’m like a dad?”

“Cause you are one.” Doris spoke as she refilled his cup. “They’re your creations, your kids, and you obviously love them dearly.”

Henry looked at his mother, he couldn’t disagree with that, he really did love those silly cartoons. And he was proud of them, even before they came to life. Heh, guess they were his kids, though… he wondered if the Toons knew how much he actually did care about them. He figured Boris had a good idea, and Alice was smart, she was quick to pick up on his forms of affection.

But Bendy?

He knew Bendy was still nervous around him sometimes, still suffering heavily from the guilt and self-hatred from the studio over what he did to Henry, how Joey made him feel about the guy. No amount of words from Henry could truly convince Bendy that he had forgiven him.

He hoped that the little imp would one day understand that no matter what, Henry still cared about him, even after everything.

But right now, he was just going to relax and enjoy the holidays with his family, and he bet the Toons would do the same.

TBC


	2. Give a Gift that has Meaning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, here’s chapter two and the final part of Home for the Holidays!
> 
> I apologize if everything seems scattered, but I’m writing things through Bendy and Henry’s povs throughout this, so it switches often. Also, I have a shit attention span, so I often forget where I’m going, especially with stories like this.
> 
> Anyway, on with the fic!

For the first time since the escape from the studio, Bendy actually didn’t share a room with Henry.

That night he had slept in the guest room with Boris and Alice, sleeping in the same bed as his best bud (who he completely forgot was clingy in his sleep), and it was just… weird. He didn’t even get up to go sneak into Henry’s bed to take it over, or find some odd place to sleep cause of his terrible need to sleep in cramped places. Boris clinging to him all night was good enough for that.

It was about six in the morning when Boris finally let the little demon go, and he quickly got out of the bed. He didn’t feel like sleeping much, mostly because he could smell something cooking downstairs. He saw that the door to the room with Renee’s kids was closed, same with Jacob’s room and Henry’s.

Quietly, the Toon made his way downstairs and peeked into the kitchen, finding Doris there, cooking, while Jacob was sitting at the counter, dressed in his pajamas, but wearing a plaid jacket at the same time. The man looked over, grinning a million-dollar smile, even at this time of day. “Hey, li’l man! Why are you awake?”

“A wolf drooled on me.” Bendy replied as he got up on a stool. “Good mornin’ Jacob, Grandma Doris.” He greeted them, smiling a bit.

Doris turned, flashing him a grin, and saying a good morning before her attention went back to the stove, cooking up delicious smelling things. Bendy could smell bacon and his stomach growled in a cartoon-ish way, making Jacob chuckle. “Guessin’ yer starvin’, yeah?”

“Eh, a little.” Bendy shrugged, before looking at the man’s hand. “Hey, uh… Jacob? If ya don’t mind me askin’… why do ya only have four fingers on yer right hand?”

Jacob blinked, looking at his hand, his right ring finger was missing from it. “Ah, ya see, when I was in the service, I had a malfunction with mah plane! This wasn’t in the war or nothin’, just a routine test flight. Turns out it wasn’t all that ready for flight, an’ I had ta do an emergency landin’!”

He noticed how wide Bendy’s eyes were as he listened to him. “It was, like, last minute landin’, really bad, rough as all hell! I SLAMMED the plane down into a field! Shockingly, the worst damage to me was a bump on mah noggin, and… well…” He wiggled his fingers.

“Ya lost yer finger in the crash!? Did it get sliced off!?”

“Nah, just bent the darn thing back way too far, stupid me cut it off in a moment of dumb, cause I thought I’d never use it again. Turns out I coulda! But then again, if I hadn’t cut it off, I wouldn’t have it in a jar in mah livin’ room now, would I?” He had a cheeky grin on his face as he said this, loving that Bendy seemed so fascinated by this.

“You have it in a jar?!”

“Uhg, you still have that disgustin’ thing?” The Toon perked up when he heard the tired, rough voice of Henry as he shuffled into the kitchen. “I thought Detrick threw it out.”

“He tried, but I made him cave! Now it sits proudly on mah mantle at home!”

“Why do you still have it?”

“It’s a conversation starter!”

“Who’s Detrick?” Bendy asked as a glass of orange juice was placed in front of him by his grandmother, a cup of coffee was placed in front of Henry as he sat down.

Jacob smiled a bit, putting his hand into the pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a beaten-up wallet, opening it up. He had a small set of photos inside a section. One photo was of his parents, another was of him, Henry, and a baby Renee, then the last photo was of Jacob in flight gear, standing in front of a plane with another man. He was blond, from what Bendy could tell with the black and white photo, and looked annoyed about being, literally, pulled into the photo, seeing as part of him was blurred.

“That’s Detrick, he’s mah best friend an’ roommate!” Jacob laughed. “He’s the complete opposite of me, but we’re two peas in a pod! He was my mechanic durin’ the war, an’ then he became a pilot himself. We’ve lived together since… gosh, I think since fifty-seven, when we got in contact again.”

Bendy’s smile grew a little. “Heh, makes me think of Boris an’ Alice, lived with them for a long time too!”

“It’s nice to live with yer best friend, ain’t it?” Jacob asked, patting Bendy on the back.

“You bet! I get to live with Boris, an’ Alice, an’ now Henry! It’s great!” He happily kicked his feet as he spoke, his grin wide and true. It was a hell of a lot better than living in the pipes and that awful studio, that’s for sure.

“Dang straight it is! High four!” Jacob held up his right hand, Bendy couldn’t help the laugh he let out as he high-four’d the man.

Henry rolled his eyes as he watched them. “You two are ridiculous. Hey, Bendy, what are you doin’ up at this hour? Usually you’re snorin’ away under the sheets, or I’m findin’ you in the bread box.”

A gray flush covered Bendy’s face as he heard the man next to him snicker at the bread box thing. Yeah, yeah, he slept in bizarre places, it wasn’t that funny. “Well… I was bein’ cuddled to death by Boris, an’ then I smelled bacon.”

“Right, yeah, even the mere mention of your favorite food gets you up and goin’.” The animator smirked.

“Why do I feel like everyone in dis house is gonna poke fun at me during this stay?” He grumbled, taking a big gulp from his orange juice. “I’m tryin’ ta have a good time, an’ I’m the butt of jokes, just like at home! This is a vacation! I should enjoy it!” He felt something scratching him between his horns, and he couldn’t help the happy noise he made, relaxing a little.

“Settle down, we’re just havin’ some fun. And believe me, you’re not the only one around here who will be made fun of. I’ve already gotten my fair share of jokes.” Henry stated before giving his brother a look, the other just happily whistling a tune as he looked away.

Doris laughed a little at them. “That’s family for you, they love you, but they’re also gonna poke as much fun at you as they can. Bendy, would you like to help me cut up this bacon? I’m making quiches for everyone and I could use the help.”

“Would I?!” Bendy grinned, jumping up from his seat to come over to the stove to be helpful. Henry smiled a little, watching his mother give Bendy a piece of his favorite food before showing him how to cut up the meat so she can start her baking.

He quietly chatted with his brother as the other two cooked and baked, Richard soon came in, taking a seat to enjoy a quick breakfast. He was gonna do a few hours of work today before closing up the shop for Christmas, since tomorrow and the day after were the 24th and the 25th.

“Oh, Henry, would it bother you if I take Bendy with me to go shopping in town?” Doris asked, looking over at her son.

“Hm? Why?”

“Well, he said he wanted to look for something, and I need to do some shopping! Now that we have more guests this year, I need to get some extra food and more presents!”

Bendy turned, looking at Henry with large, shiny eyes, his hands clasped together as he pouted. “Please! Can I go?!”

Henry looked at him before sighing loudly. “Wear a hat, keep your horns covered, the less attention you get, the better.”

“Yes!” He rushed over, climbing up Henry quickly to hug his head tightly. “You’re the best, ol’ man!” The animator just patted him on the back before asking him, while muffled, to please let go. Toons always have to be so dramatic with their actions, don’t they?

Around eight, the food was ready, and the rest of the household was coming down to eat in the dining room. Alice and Boris arrived first, greeting Henry and Bendy, before the other family members. They helped to set the table as the kids came down, happily chatting with them after Bendy joined in, then Renee and Thomas came down.

Breakfast was a lively affair, just as dinner had been the night before. The kids and Toons happily talked to one another about everything under the sun, and even the cartoons made jokes and such to get the kids laughing. The adults just calmly chatted as they ate, it was rather nice, minus the chaos of the kids and Toons.

Bendy looked over at his friends and asked if they wanted to join him and Doris in Christmas shopping. Alice politely declined, saying she was gonna play with the kids. Boris had been asked to help out with something. Bendy was a little disappointed, but at the same time, he was fine with that. He didn’t want them to know what he had planned to get during his little shopping trip.

He was embarrassed at the idea that they would make fun of him for what he had in mind, but it was important, darn it!

\--

Doris waited at the bottom of the stairs, calling up for Bendy to hurry, she wanted to get out on the road before it started to snow more.

She heard him shout that he was coming, and moments later, she saw him at the top of the steps. She almost laughed at how adorable he looked. He was in a thick coat, with a long, red scarf around his lack of a neck. On his head was a long stocking hat, and he was grinning as he made his way down the stairs. “Sorry, was chattin’ with Boris a bit. He said he’s gonna help get some extra Christmas lights up or somethin’! An’ I think he was gonna help Grandpa Rick too!”

“Ah, okay.” Doris nodded, smiling as she watched him come down the stairs. “Ready to go to town with me?”

“You betcha!” He nodded, taking her hand before they headed outside to an old car, that was already running to make sure it was warm.

Doris said the town wasn’t far, just about a ten-minute drive. The ride was nice, she pointed out places along the road, where friends lived, or what businesses use to be there. He happily listened to her talk, she was very chatty, and he liked people like that. Sometimes he wished that Henry was more talkative, but he understood why he wasn’t so, the guy had a hard time opening up to people after the war.

But he did remember hearing Henry talk all the time when he drew pictures and cells of him in the ‘special’ ink, it was nice. He used to talk like how Doris was now, just about whatever was on his mind, how his day was going, things like that. Bendy remembered enjoying listening to Henry talk to him when he was drawing, he was glad he got his memories working right.

Well, for the most part, but he wasn’t gonna trouble anyone with that little problem.

Doris smiled at the little devil as he chatted with her, telling her about his friends back home, about how they moved out of Henry’s old apartment shortly after the escape, and live in a nice neighborhood. She liked that he was good at making friends with kids and even adults. They soon came into town and pulled up to a shopping center.

“Are you going to be okay?” Doris asked, seeing him glance around once they got out.

“Yeah, a lot of people don’t pay much attention ta me. They think I’mma kid most of the time, especially cause I’m…” He gestured to his height, frowning. “An’ mah voice.”

“What about your face?”

“Most don’t look at me, an’ if they do, I look away.”

“Good plan.” She nodded. “But if anyone gives you a hard time, they’ll have to deal with me.” She smirked. “I’m not gonna let anyone mess with my new grandson!”

Bendy blinked, before laughing. Heh, he wondered if Henry learned to deal with things like this from his mom, seeing as the guy didn’t let anyone hurt his friends. He took her hand as they headed for the mall, going inside. She wanted to look around for any last-minute gifts, and so Bendy could find what he was looking for. After this, they would go to the grocery store.

The Toon looked around in awe at the clothing store they entered, seeing people wandering about, getting gifts and such. A few people glanced at them, but didn’t pay them any mind, which was always good. As much as Bendy loved being the center of attention, he didn’t like making a big scene.

As they looked around the store, Bendy helped Doris pick out a few pretty dresses for Alice, telling the older woman what sort of things Alice liked. They even found a cute coat with a set of angel wings embroidered on the back!

After that, they entered another shop that had musical supplies. Bendy happily told Doris which items Boris needed for his banjo and clarinet, and she bought them.

Now, she wanted to get Bendy something, so she let him go to the store he needed to go to while she went to the one she was going to visit. They agreed to meet at the large Christmas tree in the center of the building once they were done.

Bendy nodded and scurried off, going to find the store he needed. It took a few moments, but he happily found a place that would sell him what he needed. Now, finding the right size and the right look? That was gonna be harder...

He entered the store quietly, there were a few people in there, but they were busy with their shopping to notice the three-foot demon walk in. He reached behind himself and, out of his hammerspace, pulled out his little coin bag. He had saved up a lot of money in the past few months from his babysitting job, and already he had spent some money on Boris and Alice’s gifts, but not Henry’s. He had trouble figuring out what to get him, Henry was not an easy man to shop for.

Alice already planned to give him a book that she knew he’d enjoy. Boris was getting him a coffee mug to replace the one Henry had dropped in November, it had been the guy’s favorite.

But Bendy? He had an idea, he’d give the guy something that means, well… a lot to the Toon. But he needed one thing for it, and here he was, in a shop that sold home décor.

Bendy quietly looked around, before spotting something that made his eyes widen.

It was small, it was simple, it was perfect!

Quickly, he checked the price before looking into his coin bag, seeing that he had just enough for it with a bit leftover. He smiled and took the object, approaching the counter where an elderly man stood, finishing up with a customer. Quietly, Bendy approached and placed the item on the counter. “Just this, please…” He mumbled, avoiding eye contact like crazy.

“Alright,” The old man nodded, ringing up the item. Before he could tell Bendy the price, the money was already placed on the counter. The man blinked, but accepted it, handing over the item in a bag to Bendy. “Have a merry Christmas, young man.”

“Yeah, you too.” Bendy replied, taking the bag quickly and hurrying out.

He found the Christmas tree in the center of the store, going up to it to sit down on a bench by it. He looked into the bag, happy to see that he picked the right item for Henry. He knew the guy would like it, he was sure of it! Bendy sat quietly, waiting for his grandmother as people passed by. A little girl spotted him and smiled, waving at him, so he waved back.

He got a few weird looks from adults though, so he turned his face downward, so no one could see him. He knew they were wondering what was up with him, it was… sometimes weird. The Toon was still trying to get use to this sort of thing back home, he didn’t want to have to deal with it too much in a new place.

“Hey, did you find what you were looking for?” Doris asked, approaching him with a smile.

Bendy looked over and grinned, nodding. “Yep! We goin’ anywhere else here, or to the grocery store?”

“Anything you want to see here?”

“Nah, I’m good!” He jumped off the bench, moving to head back to the car.

\--

Henry looked out the window in the living room, seeing Alice playing with the children out in the fresh snow that covered the yard. She was being careful about how wet she’d get, wearing boots on her feet and gloves over her regular ones. Renee was out there, watching her kids and the Toon as they tried to build a snowman.

Boris was helping Richard and Thomas with decorating a few bushes in the yard that needed replacement lights since the other sets died. He smiled a bit, before noticing Jacob approach. “Why don’t ya join ‘em?” The older Ross asked.

“Nah, I don’t really wanna go out. I’m fine bein’ in here.”

“What’s on your mind?”

Henry frowned and sighed, was he that obvious? “I’m just… worried, ya know? Alice and Boris are havin’ an easier time adjustin’ to livin’ outside of the studio. Boris is workin’ with me at the auto shop, and he’s so relaxed. Alice? She’s doin’ better than she did at the start, after everythin’ that happened to her. She’s adjustin’ just fine, and is really happy with all the kids who adore her, lot more attention then she got in the old days.”

“There’s a ‘but’ to this.”

“Yeah,” the animator sighed, “but Bendy? He’s… there’s something that’s troublin’ him so much, and I know it’s more than just bein’ a demonic ink creature still instead of just bein’ a cartoon demon. I feel like… he doesn’t know what to do around me. I think I make him nervous, like… he’s scared he’ll hurt me again.” He put a hand to his throat, gently rubbing it, remembering the sickening crunch of his neck when Bendy had crushed it. No matter what Henry tells him to say he forgives him, he knows that Bendy still feels guilty about it.

Jacob frowned and sighed loudly, crossing his arms. “Ya’ll need to talk! I can sense that ya enjoy each other’s company, but yer puttin’ up walls to keep from hurtin’ one another! Sit an’ talk, you’ll feel better if you do.”

“I try to be open with him, but he is quick to play it off.”

“Then he is the one who needs to talk.”

“He’s not goin’ to do that.” Henry replied. “He’s stubborn.”

A smirk formed on Jacob’s face. “Hmmm…! I wonder where he got that from!” He laughed after he got a light punch to the arm. “But seriously, li’l bro, set Bendy down, have ‘em tell ya what’s goin’ on in dat floatin’ head of his. I don’t think he’s as open as your other Toons are, but, well… he’s a lot like you.”

“I think you’re right on that. He’s very… well… shit, he is a lot like me, ain’t he?”

“Totally, except he’s more fun an’ talkative.”

“Hahaha.” The younger brother let out a dry, monotone laugh, rolling his eyes. He looked out the window, seeing Alice put her halo on top of the snowman, seeing that it got a laugh from Maisie and Roy. He smiled a little before letting out a soft huff. “Hm, I’ll try to talk to him sometime durin’ this visit, when I can get him alone.”

“Might be a bit hard, the family really wants to spend time with the li’l guy.”

Henry couldn’t help the chuckle he made. “He loves the attention when it’s positive, especially when people want to interact with him for fun. I know he was nervous about meetin’ you guys, probably had no idea what to expect, but now he’s off shoppin’ with Mom, probably havin’ fun.”

Jacob nodded, smiling a bit. “He doesn’t need to be worryin’ about us. Though… what about the church service?”

The old animator’s eyes widened, and he slapped his forehead. “Shit! I forgot… we do the Christmas Eve night service… and I just went and bought them clothes for it too, uhg…”

“How’s Bendy around holy places?”

“Well… he’s a demon, he doesn’t like holy objects all that much. He can hug Alice, be around her just fine, cause she’s a fallen angel, but he gets burnt by her halo if he holds it for more than twenty seconds. He was taken to a church against his will once…” Henry remembered that day clearly, it had only been a few weeks into the Toons’ new lives outside of the studio, and some crazy woman grabbed him, taking him to a nearby church.

Bendy had… reacted terribly to the experience.

By the time Alice and Henry able to get to him, he was half a mess, mostly a puddle, spitting up globs of chunky ink. The woman was freaking out, the reverend, a very nice man whose daughter Bendy had helped out a few times, had tried to help him back out, but it was hard when he just felt like picking up slime.

Henry had to get him out carefully, get him to regain his composure and self after getting him to calm down. He still didn’t know if Bendy acted like that because of holy ground, or because he freaked out from being forced inside, the imp refuses to speak about what happened. Henry has learned that you should never force Bendy into a place he doesn’t want to go, he doesn’t… do well. At all. It makes him think of the pipes, and having to be forced inside of them to live.

“He hasn’t been to a church in a while, I dunno how he’ll react. But I’m sure if me, Alice, and Boris are with him, he’ll be okay.” He explained, really hoping that would work. If need be, he’d sit outside with Bendy until the service was over, or… well… they wouldn’t have to go, yeah? He was sure his mom would understand, especially because Bendy is literally a demon, not just a cartoon one.

“I bet he’ll be fine, as ya said, as long as you an’ his buds are with ‘em, he’ll be okay!”

The younger brother smiled a little, nodding, before spotting his mother’s car pulling up the driveway. When it parked, Bendy happily jumped out, waving at his friends. He rushed over to them, getting hit with a snowball by Joshua. He seemed stunned, before grinning wickedly, using cartoon logic to grab a lot more snow than what was already around him on the ground, chasing after the boy with a large snowball he made.

“Yeah, I think he’ll be alright.” Henry nodded. “I’m gonna go save our nephew, because Bendy likes to play to win.” He said quickly as he went to the door, his loud shouts for Bendy to stop were muffled as he rushed outside. Jacob chuckled a bit, shaking his head. Boy, he was glad he decided to come home this Christmas instead of going with Detrick to visit his family.

\--

Christmas Eve was here and Bendy found himself sitting in the kitchen with Doris, Alice, Boris, and the kids. They were decorating cookies of different types for the Christmas mass. Every year Doris brought treats for afterwards, especially for the children. The kids and Toons decided to help when it came to decorating, and she pretended not to notice that a few of the cookies went missing.

While this was happening, she was also working on making dinner with the help of her own kids. “So, what time do we head to the church tonight, Mom?” Renee asked as she finished working on the veggie tray.

Bendy paused in licking his fingers clean of frosting, glancing at the humans at the mention of church. Oh, right… the church service, Doris had talked to him about it at the store yesterday, and Bendy had played it off as no big deal, he’d be there. And yet, he was nervous about going, he didn’t really know what a service was until Doris explained it to him. The Toon tensed up a bit, looking at Alice who was frowning, her attention on him. “You’ll be okay.” She whispered. “You’ve got me there to help you.”

He smiled nervously at her, hearing Doris say it was at seven. That gave him a few hours to, well… to prepare himself. He wasn’t being forced to go, he was sure he could say no, but… he didn’t want to be left alone. And besides, Alice could help him out, she was an angel, she knew all about that holy stuff. Plus, Boris and Henry would be there in case anything happened.

Though… he worried that someone there would act like that crazy woman, who accused him of being a monster, and dragged him inside…

He violently shuddered at the thought.

“You okay, Bendy?” Boris asked, having noticed his best bud looking uncomfortable.

“Had a bad thought, don’t worry about it.” He waved off the wolf, moving to continue his decorating.

“You don’t have to go.” Henry spoke up, watching the demon.

Bendy frowned and shook his head. “I should go, I mean… I don’t wanna be the jerk that stays, just cause he ain’t a fan of the church an’ stuff.” He tried to play it off, but Henry motioned for him to follow him. He reluctantly did so, entering the back area of the kitchen, which led to Henry’s office.

Henry knelt down in front of him to be at eye level. “You really don’t have to, I know you’re still not sure what affects you outside of the studio, especially with you being an actual ink demon. We don’t need to push you.”

He sighed, shaking his head again. “Nah, I wanna go. I’mma a little worried, ya know, cause I melted last time, but you guys’ll be there with me.” He smiled a little. “Plus, yeah, I don’t wanna be a jerk, I did promise Grandma I’d go, she wants ta see me in the sweater ya got me.”

“You told her about it?”

“Oh yeah! She thinks I’ll look dashin’ in it.” He smirked as he adjusted his bowtie. “Unlike you, sayin’ it was too big for me!”

“It goes down past your knees.”

“News break, Ross, lotta shirts an’ stuff goes down past mah knees.”

“No one likes a smartass, Bendy.”

The Toon smirked even more, resting his hands on his hips. “Oh? If no one likes a smart *BEEP*, then why did the world love me for so long? Eh?”

Henry stared at him before rolling his eyes. “Hard to take that statement seriously when your cusswords get censored.”

He got his nose flicked by the demon, so he scooped him up under his arm, walking him back to the kitchen, ignoring the shouts from Bendy. “If you keep actin’ up, then Santa ain’t getting’ you a gift.” The old animator huffed, earning a gasp from Bendy before he settled down. He set Bendy down, patting him on the head.

He watched Bendy run back to the kids and Toons to continue frosting cookies, looking panicked as he tried to make them look good. Bendy was over thirty years old, but it was hilarious to see that he was someone who believed in Santa. It was kinda cute, seeing him act a bit innocent and child-like, rather then depressed and worried about everything around him. Or acting like he had to take on everything by himself.

Sometimes it’s just nice for Bendy to be himself, like he was in the cartoons, and not how he normally is.

Not that Henry was gonna say that out loud, but he understands that. Sometimes he has his own moments, where he’s like himself when he was a young animator, drawing his characters, not having worries about his current life, or the affects that war had on him.

He smiled a little as he entered the kitchen, returning to helping his mother out with getting dinner ready.

\--

The car ride to town was eventful, as Henry drove down the snowy road, following after his mother and father’s car. Jacob was in the passenger seat, telling the Toons in the back seat about when Henry was nine, he was eleven, and they were both in the church choir.

“-An’ then he just screamed out that last note, louder than he needed! When Henry said he didn’t want to be in the performance, ya better had listened! Mom an’ Dad were so embarrassed!”

“You weren’t any help, you laughed so hard you fell into the Christmas tree!” Henry smirked.

“Best part was, I pulled Drew down with me.”

Boris let out a loud laugh, slapping his knee. “How’d ya do dat?” He asked, wiping a tear from his eye as Bendy and Alice giggled up a storm.

Jacob grinned at them, an evil look in his eye. “Weeeeelllll… he was standin’ next to me, cause we were some of the tallest in the choir, so we were in the back. He didn’t wanna stand next to, but Mrs. Stone told him to. Anyway, when I was laughin’ mah ass off, I tipped back, waved mah arms around like crazy, an’ grabbed ‘em by the collar of his shirt! He went down with me while lettin’ out the most girlish scream I ever heard! Until two years later when Henry got chased by bees that one summer. OW!” He got a punch in the arm from his little brother as the cartoons burst out laughing again.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough outta the peanut gallery.” Henry huffed, pulling into a parking lot.

Getting out, Henry helped Alice out of the truck before doing the same with Bendy, Boris doing fine on his own. “You sure about this?” The animator asked, looking at his creation as he held him up off the snowy ground.

Bendy looked past him, at the church. He frowned a little but shrugged. “Might as well give this a shot. If anythin’ happens, ya guys will just save mah bacon, right?”

“Of course, ya punk.” He set Bendy down, letting him go run over to the kids, happily chatting with Maisie who had taken a big interest in the little Toon who was only slightly taller than her. She was carrying her toy tiger with her, along with the Bendy plushie Bendy brought with him, the toy he basically stole from Henry. He was gonna let her borrow it until she had to go home, cause he was nice like that, apparently.

The group gathered together, making their way to the building. Henry gave the Toons one final warning to behave themselves, knowing that Alice would obey, but Boris and Bendy were little punks and loved to cause trouble when they could. When they entered the building, Bendy found that it was lit up and warm inside.

The church was decorated in pine garlands, purple, pink, and white ribbons to match the decorated Advent Wreath in the front of the pedestal at the front of the church. Alice had to tell him what it was for, he was totally clueless. He felt slightly uncomfortable inside, but nothing like the day he was forced against his will inside. Pretty much helps that no one threw holy water at him, but Henry and his friends didn’t need to know about that.

Nah, this discomfort was like an annoying itch that he knew would just be a bother for the stay here, but he’d deal with it. However, he was also getting warm, and he figured that was from being bundled up against the cold.

He began to remove his coat and scarf, but Alice touched his arm. “Bendy, I don’t think you should do that here.”

“Alice, I’m startin’ ta roast in here like the ham we had for dinner. At least let me take off the coat.”

She looked a little concerned but sighed, nodding. “Alright, just the coat. We don’t want anyone here freaking out over your lack of neck.”

“I’m in a turtleneck! Ain’t no one seein’ my lack of neck anyway.” He pouted and removed his scarf, just to prove his point.

Alice huffed, crossing her arms. “You’re a stubborn idiot.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“Alright, ya two.” Boris frowned, putting a hand on each of their heads. “Ain’t no need ta be fightin’ up in a church, especially on Christmas Eve. Ya’ll do wan’ Santy Claus or Henry ta be mad, do ya?”

Both smaller cartoons frowned, but bowed their heads. “No, Boris.” They replied in unison. The wolf gave a nod before sitting down in a pew, Alice on his right, Bendy on his left. Henry sat down next to the little devil while his brother sat down next to him. On Alice’s other side sat Maisie and Benji, behind their pew were Roy, Josh, Renee, Thomas, Doris, and Richard.

The latter were talking to some of their friends, obviously explaining the strange additions to their family. They left out the little detail that they were created using demonic spells and ink, just saying that Joey Drew found a strange way to make cartoons a reality, and left it at that.

Speaking of Drew, Henry frowned when he spotted the parents of his former best friend near the front. He wondered if they ever knew what happened to the mental state of their son… he might have to have a talk with them at some point, let them hear all he knew about their son, and what the Toons could tell them.

He wondered if they would take the news in a similar way that Norman’s family did, but then again… he was sure they would react differently, they always were ones to overreact to everything.

He sighed softly, leaning back in his seat, looking down at Bendy who was doodling on the pamphlet that were handed out at the door, it held the list of events for the mass. He almost questioned where Bendy got the pencil, but then he remembered, hammerspace existed to a point in this reality.

“How are you doin’ so far, Bendy?” He quietly asked.

“I’m alright.” Bendy replied as he tried to draw Boris’ snout. “Just a bit itchy from all the holy. I’m sittin’ on mah coat to keep from getting’ hurt. Can’t touch dem bibles either, gonna have to have you or Boris do it for me, cause Grandma says we’re gonna be singin’ hymns. I don’t think I’m gonna sing.”

“Why?” Henry asked. “Think it might bother you?”

“Nah, I think I might just mock ‘em or somethin’. Sometimes my demon instinct kicks in when I’m not really focusin’, an’ I end up actin’ like a jerk. Alice hates it. Sometimes it’s funny, until she hits me on the head.”

Henry frowned a little, shaking his head. “You two better not fight tonight, alright?”

“I won’t, I won’t.” Bendy rolled his eyes before returning to his drawing, frowning when the lights dimmed above them. The service was beginning, it seems.

He sat quietly, listening to the pastor at the alter speak about Christmas and its ties to Christianity. He saw how interested Alice was, and Boris seemed rather curious. Bendy himself was rather… meh, about it. He was too busy looking around to really be focusing on what the woman was saying. He paid attention a few times when they were told to stand for songs, though Bendy stood on his seat, just like Maisie did. The two of them snickered and made faces at each other while everyone else sung, until Renee quietly told them to settle down.

Bendy pouted and sat down, deciding not to stand after that.

The service continued for almost an hour, with a rather bored Bendy, but an excited Alice. She even got mentioned by the pastor, which made her so happy.

The last part of the mass was a singing of O Holy Night while candles were lit in the darkened church. Bendy joined in for this, but was very careful of the flame, just as his friends were. Ink was flammable, and they really didn’t want to ruin the evening by being set on fire. Still though, it was actually rather nice, hearing people softly singing, the lights were simple flames, Alice sounded so beautiful, this was her element.

He smiled at his friend, seeing her smile back at him as her halo glowed a bit brighter. He didn’t mind that he felt his ink drip a little from the halo’s bright light, it was worth it knowing that Alice was in her element. After everything that happened to her, he would deal with being on holy ground just to see her happy again.

Boris, Bendy noticed, had big, inky tears in his eyes. Oh, right, this guy was super emotional over, well, everything. Bendy just smiled at his best bud as the singing began to end and everything went silent.

Then Maisie loudly asked if she could have a cookie and people laughed.

After the lights were turned back on, and the candles blown out to be placed back in the box they came from, the crowd went downstairs to mingle for a bit. Doris set out the cookies she had baked for people to enjoy while someone else prepared coffee and juice.

The Ross family wasn’t going to stay for too long, but people wanted to socialize with them. A few people asked to speak with the cartoons and Henry, while others avoided them. The Drews weren’t there, but Henry figured it was for the best.

Bendy ran off to play in a small section meant for children, sitting there with Maisie, Roy, and Joshua. He didn’t really want to talk with anyone there, he actually wanted to go back to the house, but he’d deal with this for a bit longer.

Though he was impatient! The ink demon was ready to give Henry his gift already, but he knew he had to wait, he couldn’t give it tonight. He also really didn’t want to give it tomorrow, at least not in front of everyone. He wondered if he should give it to his creator tonight, when everyone was asleep.

Bendy looked away from the plastic train in his hand to Henry, who was chatting with someone across the room. He nodded once, yeah, it would be best to do it when he could get Henry alone, and no one would be watching. Sure, it would probably be right to have the gift be open in front of everyone, but Bendy was easily embarrassed when sappy things happened, and he felt like this was pretty sappy.

Still, this was gonna be worth it, even with just him and Henry, he was sure of it.

\--

Waiting for midnight was a huge pain for the little demon as he tossed and turned in the guest bed. He stared at the clock on the side table for the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes. It was only 11:59, and it was driving him up the wall!

He pouted, crossing his arms as he watched the hands tick away. Alice was sleeping soundly in her bed, her halo gently glowing, while Boris was sleeping like a log, snoring as usual. But poor Bendy was wide awake, waiting patiently for the clock to strike twelve.

When it finally did, he grinned, slipping out of the bed carefully. He reached under the bed, grabbing the gift he had hidden under there. He would have put it in his hammerspace, but he was so worried that he might lose it there, that he figured it would be better under the bed. He looked at the wrapping he used, which was bright green tissue paper he wrapped around the gift, along with the biggest green bow he could find in Doris’ wrapping material.

Smiling a little, Bendy quietly left the room and headed for Henry’s room. Without knocking, he opened the door and found the old human on his bed, his back to the door. Henry shifted, rolling over to look at the newcomer, confused. “Bendy…?” He quietly asked, his voice tired. He had just started to doze off, but he heard the door open. He was curious as to what Bendy was doing, looking nervous with his hands behind his back.

“Uhh… hey, ol’ man…” Bendy smiled and closed the door behind himself, approaching the bed. He set the gift down on the bed before he climbed up on it. “Uhh… I got ya somethin’ fer Christmas…”

Henry blinked, glancing at the clock. Well, it was just past midnight… “Don’t you wanna give me that in the mornin’?”

Bendy shook his head. “No, I don’t want the others ta… ya know… make fun of me. This ain’t normal for me, I’m usually all… selfish, I guess.”

The animator chuckled, wanting to point out that, yes, it was true, but Bendy could also be selfless as well. But he decided to hold his tongue to humor the dancing demon. “Alright, I guess I can open it now.”

Picking it up, Henry carefully began to remove the tissue paper. It was hard to see what the object was in the dim light of the moon outside the window, so he turned on the lamp next to his bed. What he saw made his eyes widen, his mouth slack.

It was a framed picture. The frame was simple, painted white, with two black lines in the indented lines that boarded the glass of the frame, for a bit of flare. The actual image wasn’t a photo, but a drawing. A very old drawing that Henry drew early on in his career at the studio.

It was a simple, inked drawing, of Bendy and a toon version of the artist himself. They were smiling, with an arm around one another’s shoulders. It was a bit… silly, really, especially with the fact that Henry wrote ‘my real best friend’ on the paper.

He remembered this drawing, he had done it after an angry spat with Joey over something. He had stormed out of Joey’s office and hid himself away at his desk, getting back to work. But Henry had stopped to try and calm himself down, and he always felt better after he doodled something for himself. So, he used his ‘special’ ink to draw this doodle of himself and Bendy, someone who he felt actually enjoyed he ideas he pitched. It had been a drawing that Henry liked to look at after he and Joey fought, he hadn’t seen it in years, he thought he lost it the day he packed up and left when he was fired.

“I… I thought I lost this, I didn’t see it when I was gathering up my stuff…” He mumbled quietly before looking up at Bendy, who looked rather embarrassed.

“Wally… he found it, it had fallen under some old papers or somethin’. I remember seein’ him gather up paper to throw out, but he saw the drawin’ an’ decided to keep it.” Bendy explained, scratching at the back of his head, keeping his eyes elsewhere. “Uhh… s-shortly, after the time the machine went off an’ Joey messed up mah memories of you, Wally told me that he found that drawin’, an’ he said I could have it.”

Bendy didn’t want it at first, in fact, he didn’t want anything to do with Henry Ross at the time, but he took it anyway. He said he was going to destroy it or use it to mess with Joey, but… he had run off and hid, looking at the picture for hours. In all the confusion of his thoughts, the demon wondered what the picture meant, what Henry meant by Bendy being his real best friend.

Was he really as bad as Joey said?

Bendy looked over at Henry, no, Henry was better than what Joey had lied about. “Don’t laugh, but that picture… it was the only hope I had that you weren’t a careless jerk, that ya still cared about me in some way, an’ would come back.” He smirked a bit. “Took ya thirty years, but ya came back!”

A small smirk pulled at Henry’s lips as he nodded. “Yeah, an ominous letter told me to come back, and I’m glad I did.”

He stared at the gift for a moment longer before looking up at his demonic creation. “Do you really want to give me this? It seems like it still means a lot to you, Bendy.”

“It’s the best way I can say thank you, for savin’ my bacon back at the studio. For helping Alice and Boris, for… well… for everythin’ actually. I was the biggest jerk in the universe to ya, I even killed ya at one point, but you still… forgave me, helped me out. Why?”

Henry reached out, gently putting a hand on Bendy’s shoulder. “I know you’re havin’ trouble wrappin’ it around your head, but Bendy, I still care about you. Even after I stopped working at the studio and everythin’, I still cared about you, Alice, and Boris. You guys were my dream creations as a kid, you’re important to me, even now. And hell, if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have risked my ass to get Boris and Alice to safety, and to make you as good as new again!”

He pulled Bendy close, the smirk still on his face. “And look, if you don’t believe me right now, even after everything, then that’s your problem, not mine, ya punk!” He then gave the little imp a noogie, earning a squeak from the Toon.

“Alright, alright! I believe ya, ya ol’ man!” Bendy laughed as he was let go. “So, you really like the gift?”

“Of course, and it’s going up on the shelf when we get home, gonna put it right next to your original sketches.”

Bendy flashed him his signature grin before setting the picture aside on the side table. “Hey, can I stay here tonight? I miss hoggin’ your bed, an’ Boris clings like there is no tomorrow.”

Henry chuckled and turned off the light, laying back down. “Alright, but just for tonight.” He’s said that so many times over the months that it’s now just a joke between them.

Happily, Bendy got himself under the blankets and made himself comfortable. He glanced at the tired human, smiling a bit. “Thanks, ol’ man, an’… Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you too, and you’re welcome, ya punk.” Henry mumbled, putting an arm around the small Toon, starting to doze off.

\--

“Wake up! It’s Christmas!”

Bendy and Henry’s eyes opened at the same time, startled by the small person who jumped onto the bed. The room was still dark, and it didn’t feel like it was morning, but there was an excited Maisie, jumping up and down on the bed.

Henry glanced at the clock, seeing that it was almost five in the morning. He sighed and looked at his niece. “Yes, kiddo, it is… Bendy and I are tryin’ to sleep…”

“Noooo!” She pouted, looking at the two of them with big eyes. “Pleeeeeaaasseeee?”

Sighing loudly, Henry rubbed at his eyes, telling her that they’d get up in a minute, and for her to go wake up everyone else. She happily nodded, jumping off the bed to run around the house, loudly yelling what day it was.

Lying back, Henry closed his eyes, trying to catch a few more winks of sleep, but the squirming demon in his bed was preventing that. “Come on, Henry! It’s Christmas, we can sleep later! I wanna set what you guys got me!” Bendy shouted, getting himself out of the blankets, moving to sit on Henry’s chest with a devilish grin on his face.

Henry looked at him, sighing again, but a small smile crossed his face as he chuckled. “You’re like a li’l kid sometimes, brat. But alright, I’m up.” He sat up, making Bendy tumble onto his lap. The Toon huffed, before laughing, getting off the bed.

“Glad you’re not gonna be an ol’ man an’ go back to sleep. Also, uhh… could ya not… ya know, tell Boris and Alice about the gift? I want it to be special for us, yeah? I mean…” He toyed with his bowtie a little. “You know what I mean, right?”

“Yeah, I do.” Henry nodded as he stood up. That drawing was special, something meant for them, really. Henry found a friend in his creation, it was Bendy’s little bit of hope he hung onto, it was special. Alice and Boris didn’t need to know right now.

Bendy gave a nod, grinning. “Welp! Last one downstairs is a rotten egg!” He laughed, rushing out of the room and down the hall. Henry stayed behind for a moment, looking at the framed drawing, smiling a little at it. The old animator felt like his relationship with Bendy was a bit easier with the giving of that gift, he wondered if Bendy will completely stop feeling guilty soon.

But he’d worry about that later, for now, he had a holiday to go celebrate with his family and friends.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was much longer, and more difficult to write than originally planned, I sorta just… went with the flow.
> 
> A lot of it is based on setting up situations for later drabbles to do for before and after the escape from the studio, I especially want to write the one where Bendy melts in a church. I should explain that Bendy is okay to handle holy ground if he willingly walks on it, it just makes him uncomfortable. If he’s forced, or touched by blessed objects, it hurts him. He melted due to holy water, which is bad enough as water, since it makes him run anyway, but it was blessed, so it made it work faster.
> 
> Boris would be okay, he’d just drip, same with Alice, but Bendy gets it worse due to being an actual demon. I’ll explain more when I finally get around to posting post-escape stories, but that will have to wait. Also, this story is still on the weird boarder of being canon and non-canon to the au, we’ll see how things go.
> 
> Actually, there’s a lot in this story that will be explained in other stories, especially Bendy and his relationship to the drawing he gave Henry. I have a whole one-shot planned, and if I do it right, I’ll post it Christmas day.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for readings! Have a happy holiday, my wonderful readers! And if you have any questions about anything, you can always ask me in the comments, or send me an ask on my tumblr, trashboatprince.

**Author's Note:**

> This is so long! It ended up being 15 pages! And it’s not done yet, I’ve got another part or two for this, with a huge scene for Bendy and Henry in this. I'm not sure how I feel about my writing in this, but... hm, if I need to, I can just go back and editing things later. 
> 
> So far, this story is flipping and flopping between canon or being an au to the au, we’ll see how I feel about it.  
> But hey! I got to introduce more of Henry’s family! I did have Jacob mentioned and seen in A Promise is a Promise (and yes, there is a reason for him having nine fingers), but I didn’t mention much else of the Ross family. Doris and Richard are Henry’s parents, based on a combination of my grandparents. Renee and Thomas are, shockingly, based sort of on my own parents, but with obviously different names.
> 
> The kids though? Those are my family’s dogs! Turns into kids!
> 
> I’m not great at making OCs. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Sorry it’s so… sappy, but it’s a holiday story! They usually are!


End file.
